I went to Hong Kong at the end of November. I went to visit my friend Jordan who was there for one of his friend's weddings. I had to go during the week so I only had 2 full days there. However, it was, in a word, wonderful. My flight departed at 7AM so I left for the airport at 4AM. Driving to the airport, there were a few people out, but it was shockingly peaceful. Without all of the people you really appreciate how big Beijing is and how many huge buildings and sweeping roads there are.
I got on my flight and promptly fell asleep. However, because Hong Kong is an international city with several different languages commonly spoken, the announcements were made in three different language (English, Mandarin, and Cantonese). This usually doesn't affect me as I am a deep sleeper, but the levels of the speakers on the plane were somewhere between old Chinese waitress screaming orders at a restaurant and a stadium rock concert. I didn't sleep very well. When I arrived in Beijing it was 10AM, the sun was out, and it was around 70 degrees. An auspicious beginning.
I arrived at my hostel, which was located in the Chung King Mansion. I came to learn that the Chung King Mansion was a huge 15 story complex located in the heart of HK, and it was a city in and of itself. It was like a mall mixed with an apartment complex mixed with a shady tourist area mixed with and hang out spot for foreigners from around the world. I didn't spend much time exploring it because A) I could have probably spent the entirety of my 2 days in Hong Kong exploring it and still not have seen everything, and B) it creeped me out a little.
I was going to meet up with Jordan and his friends later that night so I decided to walk around and explore the city. I had looked up things to do and in everything I read there was always a suggestion to go to The Peak. The Peak is an area at the top of a mountain in the south of the city. I took a ferry across the Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong Island and grabbed some food. I spent the next couple of hours figuring out how to get to the top of the The Peak. There are several ways to get up: Bus, Tram, Cab, Walk. I decided to try to take the Tram up since it's supposed to be quite an experience. It's a 1,365 meter trip up, and at its steepest inclination it is 27 degrees. I read that if you stand up at this point, you'll be standing at a 45 degree angle. Unfortunately I didn't know this at the time and didn't have a chance to try it out. I asked a guy at a bus terminal what bus to take to get to the Tram station. He glanced at me then back to his miniature TV and pointed at a bus terminal. I thanked him and left. I asked someone else what bus I should take to get to the Tram Station and they told me to take the 15. When the 15 came, I got on and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up I was halfway up the 1300 meter climb. Apparently the bus I needed to get on was the 15C, not the 15. The 15 was taking me all the way to the top.
I got off the bus at the top and started toward a big mall complex. I read online that you can look at the Peak from the top of the mall, but there are roads that wind around the circumference of the peak that takes about an hour to walk and are much more beautiful so I decided to do that. The path paved and there was a wooden gate/buffer 3 feet high on the side of the path that overlooked the city and surrounding area so that you didn't fall to your death. Toward the center were more hills covered with flora and probably some flauna as well. They lead up to a residential area in what I can only imagine as pricey. Several times on my walk there were side paths from the main path that lead up to large, thick metal gates covered with barbed wire at the top. I was very glad I took the scenic route because the sights were beautiful. After I made my round around The Peak, I bought some noodles that resembled Pad Thai. I took the Tram back down, which was really cool (although there wasn't much of a view as you descended), and it was way faster than the bus since the Tram went straight up the mountain rather than winding around it.
By the time I got back to my hostel it was almost time for me to meet up with Jordan and his friends. One of the great things about Hong Kong is that it is truly an international city. I believe one way you can measure this is to see how much you are stared at. In Beijing, and I bet even in Shanghai, you get a lot of looks. Granted some of those looks are from Chinese foreigners who are in one of of the big cities on a trip, but nevertheless I didn't get looked at twice in Hong Kong, unless it was by a PYT checking out my powerful physique. HK's history with Britain has also probably acclimated residents to foreigners as well, but I digress. To digress a little more: in Hong Kong, people drive on the wrong side of the road.
I met up with Jordan and his friends and we headed to a restaurant that specialized in dumplings. They were delicious but I left the restuarant still feeling hungry so I bought a street waffle and later some candy at a 7-11. I forgot how much I missed candy. I wandered around a different part of the city for a while and got a better feel for the city's culture. There are more brand name shops there than in any city I've ever been to in my life. They also LOVE really expensive watches. Every block seemed to have an expensive watch store. I must have seen close to 10 Rolex ones. The financial zones in Hong Kong are a sight to see as well. It's kind of like Wall Street but much more sprawling. Everyone wears suits and ties, hold briefcases, and walk like they have somewhere really important to get to. One subway stop away from the financial zone is a Chinatown looking district that looks like it's straight out of a B Hollywood Movie. Shanty looking restaurants and retailers line the streets wall to wall with tons of street vendors and so many neon street signs that they almost extend to hang over the street. I finally made it back to the Chung King Mansion where I was offered Hasheesh by several different Middle Easterners and avoided eye contact with groups of angry looking Africans. I made it to my hostel and promptly fell asleep.
Day 2 to be continued.
I got on my flight and promptly fell asleep. However, because Hong Kong is an international city with several different languages commonly spoken, the announcements were made in three different language (English, Mandarin, and Cantonese). This usually doesn't affect me as I am a deep sleeper, but the levels of the speakers on the plane were somewhere between old Chinese waitress screaming orders at a restaurant and a stadium rock concert. I didn't sleep very well. When I arrived in Beijing it was 10AM, the sun was out, and it was around 70 degrees. An auspicious beginning.
I arrived at my hostel, which was located in the Chung King Mansion. I came to learn that the Chung King Mansion was a huge 15 story complex located in the heart of HK, and it was a city in and of itself. It was like a mall mixed with an apartment complex mixed with a shady tourist area mixed with and hang out spot for foreigners from around the world. I didn't spend much time exploring it because A) I could have probably spent the entirety of my 2 days in Hong Kong exploring it and still not have seen everything, and B) it creeped me out a little.
I was going to meet up with Jordan and his friends later that night so I decided to walk around and explore the city. I had looked up things to do and in everything I read there was always a suggestion to go to The Peak. The Peak is an area at the top of a mountain in the south of the city. I took a ferry across the Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong Island and grabbed some food. I spent the next couple of hours figuring out how to get to the top of the The Peak. There are several ways to get up: Bus, Tram, Cab, Walk. I decided to try to take the Tram up since it's supposed to be quite an experience. It's a 1,365 meter trip up, and at its steepest inclination it is 27 degrees. I read that if you stand up at this point, you'll be standing at a 45 degree angle. Unfortunately I didn't know this at the time and didn't have a chance to try it out. I asked a guy at a bus terminal what bus to take to get to the Tram station. He glanced at me then back to his miniature TV and pointed at a bus terminal. I thanked him and left. I asked someone else what bus I should take to get to the Tram Station and they told me to take the 15. When the 15 came, I got on and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up I was halfway up the 1300 meter climb. Apparently the bus I needed to get on was the 15C, not the 15. The 15 was taking me all the way to the top.
I got off the bus at the top and started toward a big mall complex. I read online that you can look at the Peak from the top of the mall, but there are roads that wind around the circumference of the peak that takes about an hour to walk and are much more beautiful so I decided to do that. The path paved and there was a wooden gate/buffer 3 feet high on the side of the path that overlooked the city and surrounding area so that you didn't fall to your death. Toward the center were more hills covered with flora and probably some flauna as well. They lead up to a residential area in what I can only imagine as pricey. Several times on my walk there were side paths from the main path that lead up to large, thick metal gates covered with barbed wire at the top. I was very glad I took the scenic route because the sights were beautiful. After I made my round around The Peak, I bought some noodles that resembled Pad Thai. I took the Tram back down, which was really cool (although there wasn't much of a view as you descended), and it was way faster than the bus since the Tram went straight up the mountain rather than winding around it.
By the time I got back to my hostel it was almost time for me to meet up with Jordan and his friends. One of the great things about Hong Kong is that it is truly an international city. I believe one way you can measure this is to see how much you are stared at. In Beijing, and I bet even in Shanghai, you get a lot of looks. Granted some of those looks are from Chinese foreigners who are in one of of the big cities on a trip, but nevertheless I didn't get looked at twice in Hong Kong, unless it was by a PYT checking out my powerful physique. HK's history with Britain has also probably acclimated residents to foreigners as well, but I digress. To digress a little more: in Hong Kong, people drive on the wrong side of the road.
I met up with Jordan and his friends and we headed to a restaurant that specialized in dumplings. They were delicious but I left the restuarant still feeling hungry so I bought a street waffle and later some candy at a 7-11. I forgot how much I missed candy. I wandered around a different part of the city for a while and got a better feel for the city's culture. There are more brand name shops there than in any city I've ever been to in my life. They also LOVE really expensive watches. Every block seemed to have an expensive watch store. I must have seen close to 10 Rolex ones. The financial zones in Hong Kong are a sight to see as well. It's kind of like Wall Street but much more sprawling. Everyone wears suits and ties, hold briefcases, and walk like they have somewhere really important to get to. One subway stop away from the financial zone is a Chinatown looking district that looks like it's straight out of a B Hollywood Movie. Shanty looking restaurants and retailers line the streets wall to wall with tons of street vendors and so many neon street signs that they almost extend to hang over the street. I finally made it back to the Chung King Mansion where I was offered Hasheesh by several different Middle Easterners and avoided eye contact with groups of angry looking Africans. I made it to my hostel and promptly fell asleep.
Day 2 to be continued.
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